Floor-polishing device



E. J; BURCH FLOOR POLISHING DEVICE Filed Nov. 8, 1 922 mmvron E.J. Burch,

WITNESSES Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES EUGENE JOHN BURCH, 0F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

FLOORPOLISHING DEVICE.

Application filed November 8, 1922. Serial No. 599,677.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE J. Bunorr, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floor-Polishing Devices, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fioor cleaning and polishing devices, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a cleaning and polishing unit which affords facilities for effectually cleaning and polishing hardwood and waxed floors or like surfaces when brought into rolling contact therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cleaning and polishing unit of the character described which is adapted to be used in conjunction with any cleaning device having means for rotatably sup-porting a shaft comprised therein.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly outlined in the appended claim.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View showing a cleaning and polishing unit embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the cleaning and polishing unit, showing also the means for imparting rotation thereto,

Figure 3 is an end view of the cleaning and polishing unit, and

Figure 4: is a section along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

In the drawings, a floor cleaning and polishing unit embodying the invention is shown in the form of a roller including a hollow shaft or core 1 having fitted thereon a cleaning and polishing element 2 which is shown as being a cylindrical cover made of felt or like resilient and fibrous material and consisting of two axially aligned similar sections 3 and 4: respectively having their adjacent ends spaced from each other by a pulley 5 which is formed integrally with the shaft 1 intermediate the length of the latter.

The hollow shaft 1 is shown as having relatively enlarged end portions 66 provided with flanges 7-7 at their extremities. Enlarged end portions of the shaft engage with the inner walls of the cleaning and polishing sections 3 and 4; adjacent to the remote ends of the latter and thus tend to prevent longitudinal movement of the sections along the shaft 1 and particularly the movement of the sections apart or toward the ends of the shaft.

A supporting rod or axle is shown as extending through the hollow shaft 1 and as projecting beyond the opposite ends of the 7 latter. The hollow shaft 1 is spaced from the rod or axle 8 and rotatably supported on the latter through the agency of bearing elements 9-9 disposed within the enlarged end portions 77 of the hollow shaft 7 and the supporting rod or axle 8 and being retained therein by caps 10 which threadedly engage the extreme end portions of the rod or axle 8. The bearing elements 9 may be made of a material which is adapted to be compressed sufliciently by the contact of the caps 10 therewith to pre vent the passage of dust or like foreign matter between the rod 8 and the enlarged end portions of the shaft.

The cylindrical cleaning and polishing element 2 may be made up of one ply or any number of concentric plies or layers, each superposed layer tightly embracing the underlying layer so that the cleaning and polishing cylinder 2 will rotate as a unit when the hollow shaft 1 is rotated. The cleaning and polishing cylinder is provided with a plurality of annular grooves 11 in its periphery, the grooves 11 being spaced equi-distant from one another and each being substantially V-shaped in, cross sectional contour. Each groove 11 may extend into the body of the cleaning and polishing cylinder to any desired depth.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The pulley 5 is of course adapted for engage ment with a belt 12 whereby the cleaning and polishing cylinder may be rotated. Any known cleaning or polishing device having a shaft adapted to be driven may be equipped with my invention, in which event, the hollow shaft 1 and the shaft supporting structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinbefore described may be replaced by the usual shaft and shaft supporting structure comprised in the cleaning device which is to be equipped With the invention, the cleaning and polishing cylinder 2 being mounted upon the shaft of the cleaning device. The cleaning and polishing unit or roller illustrated in the accompanying drawing and hereinbefore described may be used with any machine or device having means adapted to engage with the caps 1010 to rotatably support the shaft 1 so that the cleaning and polishing cylinder or covering on the shaft may be moved in rolling contact with a floor. N 0 means for engaging the caps 10 10 is shown since the elements shown as rotatably supporting the hollow shaft 1 are ordinary parts of a cleaning machine of a well known type of construction.

When the cleaning and polishing cylinder is moved in rolling contact with a hardwood or waxed floor, the material composing the cleaning and polishing cylinder Will yield sufficiently to conformably and frictionally engage the surface of a floor and to thus effect cleaning and polishing of the floor. The grooves 11 permit of a relatively great longitudinal expansion of the face or floor contacting portion of the cylinder 2, thus aiding in the cleaning and polishing of the floor.

The cleaning and polishing cylinder 2 may be replaced when Worn or for any other cause at slight cost.

Obviously, my invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and I therefore consider as my own all modifications and adaptations thereof which fairly fall within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim In a cleaning and polishing unit for hardwood and waxed floors, a roller comprising a hollow shaft a shaft extending through the hollow sha it for rotatably supporting the latter, a felt covering for the hollow shaft, said felt covering having a plurality of spaced apart annular grooves in the outer face thereof, each ofsaid grooves being substantially V-shaped in cross section, and caps secured at the ends of the second shaft.

EUGENE JOHN BURCH. 

